Public interest litigation (PIL) is relatively new to China but has grown rapidly over the last decade to become a significant and increasingly influential form of legal action...Many of [the] middle class professionals set up non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to aid disadvantaged groups...Moreover the legal framework in China changed in order to keep pace with social and economic change. China signed up to a wide range of international treaties and agreements such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and implemented laws such as the Administrative Litigation Law in 1990 and the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests in 1993...[The report gives examples in these areas: C]onstitutional rights,...the right to education[,...l]abour rights litigation, usually related to workplace discrimination or health and safety issues,...consumers' rights,...right to information,...environmental protection...[Refers to companies including: Coca Cola, HP, Foxconn, Nokia, People's Bank of China, Chongqing Qiutian Gear, Perfect Gem and Pearl Manufacturing.]